Home Office

*No heading*

lord hylton: Her Majesty's Government how many failed asylum applicants in the UK are stateless; how many lack the necessary documents to leave the UK; and what action they are taking to enable those who can safely leave to do so.

baroness williams of trafford: I am sorry but the data required to answer the question is not recorded in a way that can be reported on accurately. However, the Home Office publishes figures on the outcome of asylum claims made during each calendar year in the table 01q of the Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics January to March 2017, is available from;https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2017/list-of-tables#asylumThe UK is a signatory to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. In April 2013, the UK introduced Immigration Rules to allow stateless persons to be formally recognised as stateless and granted leave to remain where they do not otherwise qualify under any other provisions and cannot be removed to the country of their former habitual residence because they are not admissible for purposes of residence there. Those who have committed serious crimes or are considered to be a danger to the security or the public order of the UK are not eligible for stateless leave. Those who qualify under the Immigration Rules are normally granted 30 months limited leave to remain and can apply for further leave when that expires. They are eligible to apply for settlement after completing 5 years limited leave. Stateless persons and their dependent children, who believe that they have a fear of return to their home country, can also make an application for asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention. Those who qualify under the Immigration Rules are normally granted limited leave to remain for a 5 year period, with the option to apply for settlement when that leave expires.A stateless person may also make an application to register as a British citizen, if they are not recognised as a citizen of any country, providing they meet the qualifying criteria.

*No heading*

lord marlesford: Her Majesty's Government what standard of knowledge of the English language is required for candidates for British citizenship; and what assessment have they made of comparable requirements in (1) France, (2) Germany, (3) Italy, and (4) Spain.

baroness williams of trafford: To pass the English language requirement for British citizenship, a person must either have a speaking and listening qualification in English at B1 level or above of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; a degree taught in English; or be a national of an English-speaking country.Published guidance on the knowledge of language and life in the UK requirements can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/knowledge-of-life-and-language-in-the-uk; and see attached.No assessment has been made of comparable requirements in France, Germany, Italy or Spain.

Security Industry Authority

baroness henig: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 18 July (HL352), why the publication of the review report on the Security Industry Authority, completed in 2016, has been delayed.

baroness williams of trafford: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) review report will be laid before Parliament in due course, following pre-publication assurance, consultation and clearance.

Ebrahim Bham

lord pearson of rannoch: Her Majesty's Government why they issued a visa to Ebrahim Bham to speak at the Palestinian Expo, inthe lightof his anti-Semitic statements and his claim that jihad reflects Islamic teaching.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has a long-established practice of not routinely commenting on the details of individual immigration cases. Reasons for this include compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Immigrants: Detainees

baroness lister of burtersett: Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 4 July (HL Deb, cols 89–90), when the review of pay rates in immigration detention centres was instigated; and what is the reason for the delay in responding to the recommendation of the report by Stephen Shaw (Cm 9186) submitted to the Home Office on 24 September 2015, that the Home Office should reconsider its approach to pay rates for detainees.

baroness williams of trafford: An internal review of the rate of pay for detainees in immigration removal centres started on 16 June 2017.As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 14 January 2016 we are considering a number of Stephen Shaw’s operational recommendations, including pay rates for detainees, on a case by case basis, taking account of available resources.Mr Shaw will be assessing the implementation of all of the review recommendations, and will be starting work in autumn 2017.

Immigration: EU Nationals

viscount waverley: Her Majesty's Government, with reference to paragraph 31 of their White Paper Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June, whether EU citizens in the UK and their family members, in particular children of EU citizens eligible for settled status, will be able to apply for settled status as a family unit or whether each member of the family will be required to make a separate application for settled status.

baroness williams of trafford: It is intended to make the application process for the new settled status as streamlined and user-friendly as possible. Further details will be published in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business

lord bird: Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage, promote and support businesses, including social enterprises, to increase their trade with other businesses at a local level.

lord prior of brampton: Businesses and social enterprises are vital to our economy and it is important we create the best possible environment to enable firms, both large and small, to identify and exploit opportunities to trade locally, nationally and in overseas markets. As part of our Industrial Strategy, we will make the most of the diverse strengths of all of Britain’s cities and regions to attract more investment and therefore create more opportunities for companies to trade with each other. For example the decision by BMW to build the all-electric Mini at its plant in Oxford will boost commercial opportunities for existing and new companies in the local region.Industrial Strategy will also help us identify opportunities to help all businesses create jobs and wealth across the economy. The Government has invested £44m in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs via Local Enterprise Partnerships, to provide access to impartial and coordinated business support to all registered businesses in England.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

*No heading*

lord jones of cheltenham: Her Majesty's Government how many seats are available for civilians on Falklands Airbridge flights.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Minister of Defence provides 31 seats per flight on the South Atlantic Airbridge to the Falkland Island Government for onward sale to the public.

*No heading*

lord laird: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 July (HL206), whether they have had any discussions with (1) the Commonwealth Secretariat, (2) the governments of other Commonwealth nations, and (3) any other persons or bodies, concerning the Republic of Ireland re-joining the Commonwealth.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK Government has had no discussions with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the governments of other Commonwealth nations, or any other persons or bodies concerning the Republic of Ireland re-joining the Commonwealth. This is a matter for the Irish Government to discuss with the Commonwealth Secretariat. Decisions on membership are made by consensus by the Heads of all Commonwealth members.

*No heading*

marquess of lothian: Her Majesty's Government when they were first aware of the allegation that the United Arab Emirates had hacked news and social media sites of the government of Qatar.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We are aware of a number of assertions relating to the alleged hacking of news and social media sites of the Government of Qatar.

*No heading*

lord marlesford: Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the full version of the report by Sir Jon Jenkins on the Muslim Brotherhood.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Main Findings of the Muslim Brotherhood Review were published on 17 December 2015. As the then Prime Minister assured the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee in June 2016, these Main Findings are comprehensive and representative.The full Review itself cannot be made public since it contains material provided by others in confidence, including by foreign governments. This material cannot be fully redacted without rendering the report unreadable. Publishing the Review without redactions would be regarded as a very significant breach of trust by the sources of that material.

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the plan adopted by NATO following its meeting in Brussels on 25 May; and what will be the contribution of the UK to the measures included in the plan.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​In addition to delivering on the commitments made at the Wales and Warsaw Summits in 2014 and 2016 respectively, NATO agreed in May 2017 to do more to contribute to the fight against terrorism, and ensure fairer burden sharing across the Alliance. The UK already meets the Defence Investment Pledge target of spending more than 2% of GDP on Defence and welcomes the commitment of all Allies to include this in their national plans. The UK's significant contribution to NATO activities includes an enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia and capacity building work in Partner countries to build resilience against threats such as terrorism; the UK fully supports NATO's membership of the Global Coalition against Daesh.

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the indictment by Israel's military court of Issa Imro, the EU-recognised human rights defender.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have not raised the case of Mr Amro with the Israeli authorities, but we are following his case closely. An official from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem attended Mr Amro’s court hearing on 9 July.

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the decision to be made by the Israeli High Court of Justice on the proposed removal of 300 residents of Dkaika to the nearby village Hamida which is also under threat of demolition.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities, the Government gives practical support to Bedouin communities and Palestinians facing demolition or eviction in Area C of the West Bank through our funding to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) legal aid programme.The UK's position on demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear: they cause unnecessary suffering and call into question Israel’s commitment to a viable two-state solution. In all but the most exceptional of cases they are contrary to International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The Fourth Geneva Convention is clear that the destruction of property in occupied territory is not justified unless rendered absolutely necessary by military operations. We also make clear to Israel that any forcible transfer would be a breach of IHL and will have serious ramifications for Israel's international standing.

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning reports that Israeli forces are supporting abusive behaviour by Israeli settlers towards Palestinians in Hebron and elsewhere in the West Bank.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have raised our concerns about incidents of settler violence and intimidation with the Israeli authorities and highlighted the need for Israeli security forces to provide appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Council of Ministers

lord adonis: Her Majesty's Government how many formal and informal meetings of the Council of Ministers of the EU, and its committees, ministers attended in 2016.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Given the frequency of meetings and recent Ministerial changes, we would not be able to collate the attendance for 2016 in a way that would able us to answer your request without exceeding the appropriate cost and time limit.

Department for Education

Local Government: Yorkshire and the Humber

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what additional qualifications are required to teach Careers Education in schools.

lord scriven: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to stop negotiations relating to the Sheffield City Region devolution deal if the four South Yorkshire councils do not commit to that deal.

lord scriven: Her Majesty's Government whether theysupport (1) a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal, and (2)West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire devolution deals.

lord scriven: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to stop negotiations relating to the Sheffield City Region devolution deal if the four South Yorkshire councils do not commit to that deal.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government agreed a devolution deal with Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield in 2015, and to which the four councils reaffirmed their commitment in 2016 and 2017 when consenting to Parliamentary Orders establishing the mayoral election for May 2018. It is now for the councils to take the remaining steps - to hold a public consultation on the proposed devolution of powers and consent to the order needed, subject to Parliamentary approval, for the full implementation of the deal.No further proposals have been put forward to the Government.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Females

lord trefgarne: Her Majesty's Government how many females are currently imprisoned in England and Wales serving sentences of less than six months.

lord keen of elie: On 31 March 2017, there were 443 women in prison serving an immediate custodial sentence of less than 6 months.

Youth Custody

lord laming: Her Majesty's Government what action they will take in response to the report of the Chief Inspector of Prisons on Youth Custody Centres, in the light of the Prison Reform Trust report In Care, Out of Trouble, published in May 2016.

lord keen of elie: We are committed to improving standards within the Youth Justice System so that we can not only punish crime effectively but also intervene earlier to help divert young people away from crime. That is why we set out our plans to reform the Youth Justice System in response to Charlie Taylor’s review last December, so that it is better equipped to help young people turn their lives around and play a constructive role in their communities. The safety and welfare of every young person in custody is our absolute priority and we are clear that more needs to be done to achieve this. We want custody to improve the life chances of children and young people in our care and to deliver improvements to education and health services within youth custody. That’s why we have created a new Youth Custody Service, with an Executive Director for the first time in the Department’s history – to make sure this vital area is given the priority and weight it deserves. We will continue to engage with key stakeholders and consider their recommendations as this work progresses.

Ministry of Defence

Birds: Cyprus

lord mackenzie of culkein: Her Majesty's Government what further steps they have taken, following reports that 800,000 songbirds were trapped and killed last autumn, to end this illegal activity on the British Cape Pyla firing range in Cyprus.

earl howe: Regular anti bird trapping operations have continued since autumn 2016. Between November 2016 and June 2017, 560 mist nets were removed from the Cape Pyla ranges as well as a significant quantity of other items of bird trapping paraphernalia. In May 2017, the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) court in Dhekelia issued fines to 13 bird trappers, many of whom were caught in the act by hidden surveillance cameras on the Cape Pyla ranges; they were fined between €820 and €2,500 after their illegal activities were filmed by motion activated cameras. A further three accused bird trappers are due to be sentenced in the SBA court on 8 August, charged with the offences of large scale pursuit of wild birds.The SBA Administration is constantly reviewing its plans to counter illegal bird trapping. As well as activities outlined above the SBA Police will use all lawful means to target individuals involved in bird trapping and that will include any criminal activity they may be involved in. We will work closely with colleagues in Cyprus Police to achieve this.Most recently, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment based in Dhekelia, successfully destroyed up to 1,500 metres of irrigation equipment over 11 acres of land on the Cape Pyla ranges during a night time operation. The irrigation, which is laid illegally by criminal bird trapping gangs, is used to promote the growth of invasive acacia bushes.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 5 July (HL145), when they began preparations for their 25 year environment plan; and why they cannot now set out timings for its delivery.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Secretary of State announced on 21 July he has written to the Natural Capital Committee to seek advice, which it has agreed to provide in September, laying the ground for subsequent publication of the Plan. The letter is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/631124/ncc-michael-gove-dieter-helm-letter-170714.pdf

Department for Communities and Local Government

*No heading*

baroness gardner of parkes: Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to protect long-term residents from the adverse impacts of unlawful short-term holiday lets in neighbouring properties.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government supports the sharing economy, and welcomes Airbnb’s recent decision to amend its systems so that entire home listings in London are not available for more than 90 nights in any given year without appropriate planning permission. The Government also welcomes the formation of the UK Short Term Accommodation Association and its work to develop an industry code of conduct.Changes in section 44 of the Deregulation Act in no way weaken existing protection for residents against statutory nuisances and anti-social behaviour.Where short term lets breach the rules, responsibility for enforcement lies with the local authority, as it does for any breaches of planning control, and householders who breach the rules face significant fines.

*No heading*

baroness gardner of parkes: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take action to ensure that short-term holiday letting agents conduct checks on the rights of tenants to sub-let their properties.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Whether a property is sublet in a manner which is contrary to the terms of a lease is a matter to be resolved between the leaseholder and the freeholder. Where there are disputes, the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) can adjudicate.

*No heading*

baroness gardner of parkes: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of abuse and violence conducted by occupants of short-term holiday lets on neighbouring long-term residents; and what evidence they have for that assessment.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has not made an assessment. Agencies have strong powers for tackling anti-social behaviour through the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act, requiring landlords to deal with nuisance.Residents affected can request from their Local Authority an Anti-Social Behaviour Case Review - also called Community Trigger – in which they can insist on a multi-agency review of their case if they have reported the problem three times in the past six months and yet the problem has not yet been resolvedAny incidence of abuse or violence should be reported to the police. The police and local authorities have a significant range of powers and we expect these to be used, putting the needs of victims at the heart of their response, promptly and proportionately.

*No heading*

baroness pinnock: Her Majesty's Government why cladding tests in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire are limited only to one type of cladding despite several varieties also being combustible.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government responded to the Grenfell Tower fire by setting up an independent panel of experts, who established that the immediate priority was to identify the scale of use of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) type cladding on buildings over 18 metres. Following further advice from the Independent Expert Advisory Panel, the Government commissioned the Building Research Establishment to test different wall cladding systems using three common types of ACM panelling with two commonly used types of insulation. The results will provide further evidence of how some commonly used wall systems using ACM perform in a fire. This evidence will be used to produce further advice to inform building owners’ decisions on whether they need to take any additional action to make their buildings safe.

*No heading*

baroness pinnock: Her Majesty's Government why the testing scheme for building cladding has been on the basis of a more rigorous combustibility grade “A2” or “limited Combustibility” rather than that stipulated in Approved Document B of the building regulations which only prescribes “Class 0” or Euroclass B.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has not adopted more rigorous criteria than those set out in Approved Document B. The relevant guidance is set out in paragraphs 12.5 to 12.9 in the Approved Document, which should be read in full. A detailed explanation of the testing process and how it relates to fire safety and the Building Regulations is set out in Annex A of the note published on 30 June athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/explanatory-note-on-safety-checks-and-testing

*No heading*

baroness pinnock: Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the letter reported to have been sent to social housing providers encouraging them to retro-fit sprinklers following the Lakanal House fire in 2009.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department wrote to all social housing providers in 2013, encouraging them to act on the recommendations in a Coroner’s report into firefighter deaths which occurred at Shirley Towers in Southampton in April 2010. That letter encouraged providers to consider the retrofitting of sprinklers in older residential tower blocks. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library of the House.The Department then reinforced the content of that letter in its response to the Coroner’s report into the Lakanal House Fire – a copy of which can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/205567/Annex_B_-_SoS_DCLG_Rule_43_response.pdf

*No heading*

lord scriven: Her Majesty's Government whether theysupport (1) a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal, and (2)West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire devolution deals.

lord scriven: Her Majesty's Government whether theysupport (1) a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal, and (2)West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire devolution deals.

lord scriven: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to stop negotiations relating to the Sheffield City Region devolution deal if the four South Yorkshire councils do not commit to that deal.

lord scriven: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to stop negotiations relating to the Sheffield City Region devolution deal if the four South Yorkshire councils do not commit to that deal.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government agreed a devolution deal with Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield in 2015, and to which the four councils reaffirmed their commitment in 2016 and 2017 when consenting to Parliamentary Orders establishing the mayoral election for May 2018. It is now for the councils to take the remaining steps - to hold a public consultation on the proposed devolution of powers and consent to the order needed, subject to Parliamentary approval, for the full implementation of the deal.No further proposals have been put forward to the Government.

HM Treasury

*No heading*

baroness deech: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs and benefits of agreeing (1) an enhanced equivalence regulation, and (2) a UK–EU bilateral equivalence agreement, as a means of continuing UK–EU collaboration on financial services laws and regulations post-Brexit.

lord bates: The government is committed to leaving the EU in a way that underpins prosperity and avoids unnecessary disruption and dangerous cliff edges for businesses. Ensuring there is regulatory coherence between the UK and EU is key to achieving this. Our ambition is for a new EU-UK relationship where there is a strong shared commitment to regulatory coherence. The details of this new relationship are a matter for the negotiations.

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the contribution of the mutual reinsurer Pool Re to the mitigation of terrorism risk.

lord bates: Pool Re is a Government backed terrorism reinsurance scheme, established after insurers withdrew from proving terrorism cover in the wake of the IRA bombing campaign in the 1990s, which left businesses unprotected. Pool Re provides reinsurance to its members and is backed by a Government guarantee to ensure they can provide cover for losses resulting from acts of terrorism, while being protected from catastrophic losses. This helps businesses insure against the financial risks of a terrorist attack. To date, Pool Re has dealt with 16 separate terrorism events paying total losses in excess of £600m. Treasury is in active discussions with Pool Re in relation to the evolving nature of the terrorism threat.

Shops: Payment Methods

lord blencathra: Her Majesty's Government whetherthey intend to prohibit credit card companies from placing pressure on shops to refuse to accept cash payments; and if not, why not.

lord bates: Cash continues to play a key role in the UK economy, making up around half of all payments. The Government remains committed to widespread free access to cash and consumer choice in payments. The Government would not be able to prohibit credit card companies from placing pressure on shops to refuse to accept cash payments as this is a commercial decision. However, given the continued importance of cash we would not expect credit card companies to do so.

RateSetter

lord myners: Her Majesty's Government whetherthey intend to take steps to protect those lenders who have made loans through Ratesetter.

lord bates: The government has implemented a proportionate, principles based regime for peer-to-peer (P2P) lending that balances the need for consumer protection with allowing the sector to grow and evolve. This requires consumer-facing platforms to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and subject to FCA rules. The FCA are currently undertaking their planned review of the regulatory framework for (P2P) lending, and the government will continue to engage with the FCA and the wider P2P industry as the review continues.

Halifax Bank of Scotland: Loans

lord myners: Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the Financial Conduct Authority regarding the timetable for investigating lending by HBOS.

lord bates: The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) investigations into lending by HBOS are a matter for the FCA. The independence of the FCA is vital to their role. Their credibility and authority would be undermined if it were possible for the Government to intervene in their decision-making.

Public Sector: Pay

lord mackenzie of culkein: Her Majesty's Government whether, following their announcement that the future of public sector pay will be considered as and when pay review bodies report, they will allow those bodies to make independent evidence-based recommendations.

lord bates: The Government will continue to consider the independent evidence-based recommendations of the Independent Pay Review Bodies, which make their recommendations on the annual pay awards for the relevant public sector workforces after considering the evidence on affordability and workforce pressures including recruitment and retention.

Credit Rating

lord bird: Her Majesty's Government what steps theyare takingto explain and promote (1) the factors that are taken into account by firms carrying out credit-related regulated activities when assessing borrowers' creditworthiness, and (2) the steps that borrowers may take to increase their creditworthiness.

lord bates: The government is committed to ensuring that consumers have the information they need to make financial decisions and have the confidence and skills they need to successfully engage with their finances. Leadership in this area is provided both by government and by the Money Advice Service, which was set up by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2010 and was given statutory objectives to enhance the understanding and knowledge of members of the public of financial matters, including the use of credit. The Money Advice Service website provides free-to-client impartial guidance on creditworthiness including what information is in a credit report and what steps members of the public can take to improve their creditworthiness. The government has recently introduced legislation into Parliament to create a new financial guidance body. The new body will replace the Money Advice Service, The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS) and Pension Wise and is designed to offer a simpler source of guidance, reducing duplication across the government’s guidance services. The new body will take forward the work of the Money Advice Service on enhancing public understanding of financial matters.

Department for Exiting the European Union

*No heading*

lord jones of cheltenham: Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they intend to negotiate for the border between Gibraltar and Spain.

baroness anelay of st johns: Ensuring a well-functioning Gibraltar-Spain border is a key objective for the UK Government. A well-functioning border is also in the interests of the surrounding Spanish region, including the thousands of Spanish workers who cross the border every day. As the Prime Minister said in her statement to the House of Commons on 29 March, we are absolutely steadfast in our support of Gibraltar, its people and its economy.

*No heading*

lord taylor of warwick: Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the comments by Lord O'Donnell, in the Observer on Sunday 16 July, concerning the complexity of the challenges posed by Brexit and, in particular, the need for additional civil servants to support the negotiations, whether they have reviewed their plans for those negotiations.

baroness anelay of st johns: Since the referendum, the whole of government has undertaken a huge work programme to make sure that we begin negotiations from a position of strength. The negotiating team supporting the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU and the Prime Minister in these negotiations is strong and experienced.This is an unprecedented negotiation. We have comprehensively articulated our objectives in the White Paper on the UK’s exit from and new partnership with the EU. Our approach has not changed, and our timetable remains on course. We want to get the best deal that works in the interests of the UK and the EU.